PROFILE
Howie Moscovitch
By Andrew King
Veteran songwriter , producer , and engineer Howie Moscovitch seems to have found the fountain of youth .
Born and bred in Winnipeg , MB , Moscovitch is a Canadian ex-pat now based and working in Nashville . Though he works on a myriad of projects from many different genres , he most often finds himself in the world of pop music , and says that keeping pace with the genre ’ s quick evolution is very much like drinking from the rejuvenating mythical body of water .
“ I get older , but am always aware of the shifting trends and newest sounds ,” he says . “ I get to work with talented and interesting people , and the aim is to always be growing and sounding fresh .”
Moscovitch ’ s musical journey began with classical piano lessons as a child , but really took off when he traded his 88 keys for six strings at age 12 . “ Guitar led me to improvisation , which got organized into compositions ,” he begins .“ The compositions needed to be recorded , and that ’ s when I started producing .”
He worked his way from reel-to-reel machines to virtually “ every kind of Portastudio ” and never stopped experimenting with the latest recording tools and technologies . At the same time , he was playing and writing with a number of different bands and saw his songwriting chops and catalogue grow exponentially .
“ Since then , I ’ ve been lucky to work with and learn from great songwriters , players , producers , and engineers – many of whom are JUNO and Grammy Award winners ,” he shares . He ’ s won songwriting competitions , signed several publishing contracts , had a number of successful covers , and seven years ago , made the trek down to Nashville to continue his work . He ’ s been there ever since .
He describes his time working with
Nashville-based creative hub County Q Productions as being particularly influential to his career and current workflow . “ I was trusted to do every aspect of each recording ,” he explains – “ writing , playing all tracks , engineering , and mixing .”
That was especially valuable in his relationship with Grammy-winning producer , mixer , and engineer Chris Trevett on some special projects . “ I was auditioned as much for my writing as for the quality of my productions ,” he explains of his time with the studio veteran , whose credits include work with Prince and Michael Jackson .
Moscovitch recently signed a global distribution , publishing , and administration deal for his masters and continues to write and produce new material on a full-time basis . He ’ s also working on artist development with a few budding acts , from two sisters in a ‘ 90s-sounding soul outfit to a pop singer that fuses R & B with EDM to hip-hop artist K Rush , with whom he recently collaborated on a track that features the rapper ’ s fouryear-old daughter .
“ I work in most offshoots of pop , and though I strive to create unique-sounding songs and recordings , most clients also want all the requisite bells and whistles of current pop songs ,” he says of one of his many ongoing challenges . “ So it ’ s necessary to have the newest arrangements , beats , and production and engineering techniques on lock .”
Being in business for himself means much of his time is dedicated to doing just that – studying his peers ’ latest sounds and tricks and finding ways to incorporate them into his workflow with the latest technologies .
Moscovitch lives on his own down in Nashville , and when he can escape from the studio , he has several scenic spots in and outside of the city where he can decompress . ‘ It ’ s good to get away from work to refresh your focus ,” he says . “ I try to spend lots of time outdoors , exercising , hiking , and swimming .” Inside , he likes to cook and is also something of a self-described “ word nerd ” who avidly tackles crossword puzzles .
Of course , living and working in Music City means he ’ s always surrounded by talent , so getting out for a night on the town to hear some new sounds and old favourites is something he still relishes .
As of now , Moscovitch is waiting to see if his visa will be approved for a few more years in the U . S ., but says wherever he may find himself in the New Year , he ’ ll still be eagerly working with new and established artists and helping them take their art to the next level . “ The craft is always evolving ,” he says , “ and I ’ m curious to hear what my tracks sound like this time next year .”
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Sound .
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